THE PINNACLE OF BEAUTY

THE PINNACLE OF BEAUTY

On the Lightening of Ab‰ Lahab’s

Punishment each Monday

T¥j al-SharÏ ¢a, Sheikh Mu^ammad

Akhtar Ri\¥ al-Q¥dirÏ
Translated by
Abdul Aziz Suraqah
© 2 0 1 3 Ihsanica Media

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 F o r e w o r d b y S h e i k h M u H. a m m a d
A s j a d R i D. Ā K h Ā n

In the name of All ah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. All

praise belongs to Allah, the lord of the worlds, and may prayers and
salutations be upon our master Mu^ammad, and upon his Family
and Companions.
It is indeed pleasing to learn that Ihsanica Media has completed
the translation of Nih¥ya al-zayn, which is a short work by my
beloved and noble father, our master Sheikh Mu^ammad Akhtar
Ri\¥ Kh¥n. I pray that this work finds acceptance in the Divine
Court of Allah Most High. I would like to extend my appreciation
to my dear brothers in the love of the beloved and sacred Messenger
of Allah s, Muhammad Junayd, Shiraz Abdul Majid, Tariq Hasan
Khan, Jawid al-Hindi, Uthman Yousaf, Irfan Edhi, Shaukat
Malida, Shabir Bakali, Salim Vindhani, Balal Hassan Ali, Tahseen
Hussain, Muhammad Umar Faruq and Faisal Noori, for putting
this publication together, and especially Ustadh Abdul Aziz
Suraqah for his valuable and pleasing translation.

Sheikh Mu^ammad Asjad Ri\¥ Kh¥n

Ra Ïs al-J¥mi¢a,
J¥mi¢a al-Ri\¥, Bareilly
 Publisher’s Foreword

When handling complex issues in the sacred sciences of

Islam, a student or scholar must possess two essential features:
a passionate love for Allah and His Messenger s, and a sharp
analytical mind capable of penetrating to the root of matters and
drawing from a wide array of disciplines. One without the other
will lead inevitably to erroneous and dangerous conclusions. Strong
religious emotions, when not tempered by scholastic aptitude, will
usually lead to folly, since a lover’s feelings alone cannot determine
the ruling of Allah and His Messenger in a given issue. And
scholastic aptitude, when not rendered soft by love and devotion,
and made malleable by sincerity, will lead to dry and lifeless rulings
that alienate the common Muslim and provide fodder for pharisaical
hair-splitting Ahl al-Rus‰m (those obsessed with the outward of the
law at the expense of the inward). Gathering between the two is
perfection.
This small but detailed work by T¥j al-SharÏ¢a Mu^ammad
Akhtar Ri\¥ Kh¥n, scion of the great reviver (Mujaddid) Imam
A^mad Ri\a Kh¥n, addresses the famous narration of Thuwayba,
a slave whom Ab‰ Lahab freed out of joy for the Prophet’s birth s,
and the narrations that detail the lightening of punishment that
Ab‰ Lahab received on account of that, and tackles an assortment
of objections made to these narrations, which in essence limit
the Prophet’s mercy and intercession. The central thesis of this
treatise is that the Prophet’s s power of intercession encompasses
non-believers; but not in the sense of general amnesty from Hell,
rather because of the lightening of the punishment of lengthy
standing to be suffered on the Last Day.
 Other areas of discussion in this work include: the use of
dreams as legal proofs, whether non-believers receive recompense
for their good deeds in the Hereafter, whether non-believers can
receive benefit in their graves, the forms of intercession held by
the Prophet s, the reconciliation of proof texts that seemingly
contradict one another, and how mursal (hanging) hadith reports
are acceptable for use according to the principles of the ¤anafÏ
school.
If this disbeliever who was condemned
And whose hands were bound forever in the Fire
Mentioned that every Monday
His punishment is lightened due to his joy in A^mad
What say you of the servant
Whose entire life is joyful with A^mad

J u na i d YĀ s Ī n
publisher
 Introduction

D
ur i ng my v isit to Medina the Illumined on Dh‰
al-¤ijja 18, 1431/November 28, 2010, I was asked about
the claims of those who object to the hadith of Thu-
wayba, the Prophet’s s wet-nurse whom Ab‰ Lahab joyfully
manumitted upon receiving news of the Prophet’s birth s. It
is stated in a hadith that Ab‰ Lahab’s punishment is eased for
him on Mondays because of his action on that day. This hadith,
the objectors claim, contravenes the Quran and consensus, and is
therefore spurious [maw\‰¢]. I gave a basic and preliminary an-
swer that day and argued that the hadith has a basis and was met
with acceptance, and that the Quranic verses and consensus are
not taken in an absolute fashion.
There are other hadith reports mentioning some of the
disbelievers, or a group of them, receiving a lightened punishment,
and that will be part of the general lightening that all people—
believer and disbeliever alike—will experience at the plains [on
the Day of Judgment] due to the Prophet’s intercession s.
Now, in order to reconcile the various proof texts and eliminate
contradiction, all of these hadith reports are deemed specific
exceptions to the general and absolute texts. The source for
understanding the meanings of the Book [the Quran] goes back
to the eloquent words of the Prophet s. Allah Most High says,
œAnd likewise, We have revealed unto you the Reminder, that you may
explain to the people what is revealed to them∑ [16:44]. The unrestricted
[mu~laq] in the Quran is what the Sunna proves to be unrestricted
in all areas, and what the Sunna deems subject to qualification is
clarified in its textual implications [dil¥la]. It is not as some think,
1
that everything that appears unrestricted at face value is taken
as such; rather, in these matters one must take recourse in the
explanation set forth by the Prophet s, for his guidance is the
true guidance.
During my stay in Medina I came across a nameless book that
quoted a statement from Sheikh [JamÏl] al-¤usaynÏ—may Allah
preserve him—that seemed to support the view of the objector.
This statement made me even stronger in my certainty that my
view was correct. So after I returned to my homeland I was able
to look into this matter further. I reviewed the books of hadith
and it became clear to me that my opinion was not without
precedent—so may Allah be praised for what he bestows and
inspires. In this treatise I shall present the hadith in question,
complete with its chains of narration, and I shall detail where
it is found in the collections of al-Bukh¥rÏ, al-BayhaqÏ, ¢Abd al-
Razz¥q, and others.

2
 •

I
ma m a l -Bukh ĀrĪ narrated in his ßa^ī^: “Al-¤¥kim b. N¥fi¢
reported via Shu¢ayb › al-ZuhrÏ › ¢Urwa b. al-Zubayr › Zaynab
b. AbÏ Salama › who reported that Umm ¤abÏba b. AbÏ Sufy¥n
said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, marry my sister, Bint AbÏ Sufy¥n.’
The Prophet s asked, ‘Would you like that?’ She replied, ‘I am
not yours to the exclusion of all other [women (i.e., you have
many wives)], and I would like for my sister to share with me in
the good [i.e., in this life and the next] through you.’ … ¢Urwa
said, ‘Thuwayba was the manumitted slave of Ab‰ Lahab. He
freed her and she suckled the Prophet s. When Ab‰ Lahab
died some of his family saw him in a dream vision and asked him
about what he received [in the Hereafter]. He replied, “I have
not found any good after you save that I am given drink due to
having set Thuwayba free, and on every Monday my punishment
is lightened.”’”1
I ask the one who objects to this hadith and claims that it is
a lie: What will you say regarding these masterful Imams who
reported this hadith and received it with acceptance? Are you
bold enough to say that they carelessly reported a lie in their
collected works? And if your claim is correct, how can they, the
bearers of sacred knowledge and the keepers of the sacred trust
of the religion, be trusted in what they say? This is tantamount
to casting aspersions upon the scholars who are the guardians of
the Sacred Law. I’ll go further and say that this is an attempt to
demolish the edifice of the religion. This portion of my answer
is enough to answer Sheikh JamÏl’s critical questioning of the
scholars who accepted this hadith.

1 Al-Bukh¥rÏ, ßa^Ï^ al-Bukh¥rÏ §5101.

3
 This portion also demonstrates that there is no precedent
[salaf] for the one who claims that the hadith is a lie; and if, for
argument’s sake, there is a precedent, let him explain who that
precedent is.
I would also like to ask the objector and those who support
him: What led you to make this claim? What drew you to allege
that the hadith is a lie? Certainly you have a good example in the
predecessors [Salaf]; they didn’t claim that the hadith is a lie.
The most they said was that it is mursal [a loose report]. Take the
following statement from Imam Ibn ¤ajar al-¢Asqal¥nÏ, whom
you have relied upon and quoted in your nameless book:
This hadith proves that a righteous action may benefit a disbeliever
in the Hereafter. This, however, contravenes the outward purport
of the Quran, where Allah Most High says, œAnd We shall turn to
what they did and they shall find it as scattered dust particles∑ [25:23]. Firstly,
it can be retorted that this report is mursal by way of ¢Urwa, who
did not mention who narrated it to him. In the possibility that the
chain is intact, the actual contents of the report are the product of a
dream vision and dream visions are not considered evidence. In all
likelihood, the narrator was still a non-Muslim at the time of seeing
the dream, and as such it can not be used as evidence.
Secondly, even if we assume that it is accepted, the import of this
hadith carries the possibility of being unique for the Messenger of
Allah s, as was mentioned regarding the narration of Ab‰ >¥lib
that states his punishment was lightened and he was moved from
the deepest flames to the shallowest part of Hell. Al-BayhaqÏ said,
“The narration mentioning the disbelievers not possessing any
good is understood to mean that they will neither find an escape
from the Hellfire nor will they enter Paradise. The punishment
they deserve for their sins and crimes besides disbelief might be
lightened for them on account of good they previously did.” As
for [Q¥\Ï] ¢Iy¥\, he stated, “It is agreed by way of consensus
that the disbelievers will not stand to benefit from their good

4
 actions or receive their rewards through enjoyment of a delight
or a lightening of punishment—even if some of them shall receive
more punishment than others.”
This does not negate the possibility mentioned by al-BayhaqÏ,
for everything narrated on this topic relates to the sin of disbelief.
What is to preclude the lightening of punishment for sins that are
less than disbelief?
Compare Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\’s statement above (cited by Ibn ¤ajar)
with his statement in Ikm¥l [al-mu¢lim] mentioned before, where
he answers the apparent conflict between the narration on the
lightening of Ab‰ >¥lib’s punishment due to the Prophet’s
intercession and the Quranic verses he mentioned. If you compare
the two statements you will see a clear contradiction and conflict
between them and the former and latter statements. As such, the
consensus he cited is debatable, as we shall soon detail.
Ibn ¤ajar continued:
Al-Qur~ubÏ said, “This lightening is restricted to those who were
explicitly mentioned in the texts.” Ibn al-MunÏr said in his gloss,
“There are two issues here: [First:] what is impossible, namely,
to consider the obedience of a disbeliever of benefit when coupled
with his disbelief—because the condition for obedience is that it
is performed with a correct intention, which is lacking in the case
of a disbeliever. [Second:] that the disbeliever, out of Allah’s pure
generosity, can be rewarded for some good actions he performed.
This is not rationally impossible. Once this is established, we see that
Ab‰ Lahab’s manumission of Thuwayba is a strong circumstantial
element [qarÏna] that is worthy of consideration. It is rationally
possible for Allah to bestow His generosity upon him in any way
He wills, just as He did with Ab‰ >¥lib. In this matter the divinely
revealed texts are to be followed, both in affirmation and negation.”
In supplement to this, the aforementioned generosity may be
shown to the disbeliever who did a good act, and Allah knows best.2
2 Ibn ¤ajar al-¢Asqal¥nÏ, Fat^ al-B¥rÏ, 9:119.
5
Elsewhere Ibn ¤ajar stated:
It appears from the hadith of al-¢Abb¥s that this longing was
fulfilled. The Prophet’s statement s, “My intercession shall
benefit him,” was deemed problematic because of the verse
œThe intercession of the intercessors will not avail them∑, [74:48]. It is
retorted that this [hadith] is qualified, which accounts for why
the scholars considered it among the unique features [kha|¥√i|] of
the Prophet s. It has also been said that the meaning of the word
“benefit” in the verse is different from the meaning of the word
“benefit” in the hadith. The meaning of “benefit” in the verse, it
is said, is extraction from the Hellfire, and “benefit” in the hadith
means lightening [of torment]. This is the view supported by al-
Qur~ubÏ.
Now, al-BayhaqÏ said in al-Ba¢th: “The narration concerning Ab‰
>¥lib is authentic, so there is no justification from the standpoint
of hadith authenticity to deny it. As I see it, the reason why the
disbelievers cannot receive intercession is because of the truthful
statement [in revelation], which declares that no one can intercede
for them. This is general for every disbeliever; but it is possible
that some disbelievers are excluded from this general statement
if they are specifically mentioned in a revealed text…. Some of
the theologians understood from this hadith that a disbeliever’s
punishment is for both his disbelief and his disobedience. It follows,
then, that it is permissible for Allah to forgo the punishment of
disbelievers on account of some of their disobedience—and that
is to bring joy to the heart of the intercessor. It is not a reward
to the disbeliever, for his good deeds turned into scattered dust
when he died upon disbelief. Muslim narrated from Anas: ‘As for
the disbeliever, he shall receive the [reward for] his good deeds in
this world, until, when he reaches the Hereafter, he is left without
a single good deed.’”
Al-Qur~ubÏ said in al-Mufhim, “There is a disagreement about
this particular intercession. Is it verbal [lis¥n qawlÏ] or metaphorical

6
[lis¥n al-^¥l] in nature? If it is the former then it is problematic in
light of the Quranic verse. The answer to this enigma lies in the fact
that qualification [takh|Ï|] is permissible. On the other hand, if the
nature of this intercession is metaphorical, then the hadith means
that Ab‰ >¥lib was rewarded by receiving a lightened punishment
because of the great lengths he went to honor and defend the
Prophet s, and that, in turn, was called an intercession because
the Prophet s was the means for the lightening…. Another
possible answer is that since the recipient of this lightening does
not perceive the lightening, it is as if he wasn’t benefited by it [i.e.
the intercession]. This is supported by the hadith mentioned
earlier which states that he will believe that no one else is receiving
a torment worse than his. That is because not even the mountains
can bear a minute amount of Hell’s torment, and since the one
subject to torment is preoccupied with his torment, it can be said
he didn’t benefit from the lightening of punishment.”
This might be supported by the hadith of Umm ¤abÏba
mentioned earlier in the Book of Marriage from the story of Bint
Umm Salama, [stating]: “Thuwayba suckled us both.” ¢Urwa said,
“When Ab‰ Lahab died he was seen in a dream vision and was
asked about what he received. He said, ‘I have not found any good
after you save that I am given drink due to having set Thuwayba
free, and on every Monday my punishment is lightened.’” This has
already been addressed in that section. In al-Tadhkira, al-Qur~ubÏ
considered the likelihood of a disbeliever being presented before
the Scale to have his deeds weighed, and he opined that if the
scale-pan of bad deeds outweighs the scale-pan of good deeds
then his good deeds will be obliterated and he will enter the Fire.
However, the disbelievers vary with regard to this. Those of them
who have good deeds, such as the manumission of slaves and
succor offered to Muslims, are unlike those who don’t. So it is
conceivable that the lightening of such a person’s punishment will
be commensurate with the deeds he performed, and that is due to

7
 the statement of the Most High, œWe shall erect the Scales of justice on
the Day of Resurrection and no soul shall be wronged∑ [21:47].
This theoretical research seems to contradict the statement of the
Most High, œAnd its punishment shall not be lightened for them∑ [2:162],
and the hadith of Anas I mentioned earlier. There is the raised
[marf‰¢] hadith of Ibn Mas¢‰d, reported by Ibn Mardawayh and
al-BayhaqÏ, that reads, “The Prophet s said, ‘No one, whether
Muslim or disbeliever, does a good deed except that Allah rewards
him for it.’ The Companions asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What is
the reward of the disbeliever?’ He replied, ‘Wealth, children, good
health, and the like.’ Then they asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What
is his reward in the Hereafter?’ He replied, ‘A punishment lesser
than the greater punishment.’ Then he recited the verse, œCast the
people of Pharaoh in the severest punishment∑ [40:46].” The chain of this
hadith is weak, and even if we assume that it is sound, it would be
understood to refer to the lightening that occurs in relation to the
punishment for disobedience, not the punishment for disbelief.3
The erudite scholar al-¢AynÏ said:
His [i.e., Ab‰ Lahab’s] statement, “due to having set Thuwayba
free,” means due to him manumitting her. The word is ¢at¥qa with
fat^a on the letter ¢ayn. In another narration found in ¢Abd al-Razz¥q’s
collection he said “¢itqÏ,” and some have said that this phrase is one
way of saying it. The most correct way is to say “i¢t¥qÏ” [“my freeing”],
because it means that he freed her from the bonds of slavery.
This statement of al-¢AynÏ was taken from al-Kirm¥nÏ who said,
“If you say that the meaning of this phrase is that he freed her
from the bonds of slavery, I maintain that the correct way of
saying that is ‘i¢t¥qÏ.’”
I say: Neither author was precise in his words, for ¢itq, ¢at¥qa,
and ¢at¥q are all verbal nouns [ma|dar] of the verb ¢ataqa, as in,
“So-and-so ¢ataqa [“freed”] the slave.” Al-¢AynÏ’s comment that
3 Ibid., 11:363–364.
8
one way to word the phrase is with “¢itqÏ” is flawed, because ¢itq
and ¢at¥qa are synonymous, so how can one be more correct in
meaning than the other? Furthermore, the statement that “the
most correct way is to say ‘¢it¥qÏ,’ because it means that he freed
her from the bonds of slavery” betrays a lack of familiarity with
the language of the Arabs. The author of al-Mughrib stated, “¢Itq is
to leave slavehood and to be freed from the bonds of slavery. The
word ¢itq can sometimes take the place of the word i¢t¥q, which
is the verbal noun of a¢taqa in the phrase ‘A¢taqahu mawl¥hu’ [“He
was freed by his master”].”
In al-Taw\Ï^ it states:
One of the aspects of jurisprudence contained in this hadith is
the fact that a disbeliever may receive a recompense for his good
deeds that were performed for the people of faith in Allah—as
happened with Ab‰ >¥lib. However, the difference between Ab‰
>¥lib and Ab‰ Lahab in this regard is that Ab‰ Lahab’s lightening
will be less, because of Ab‰ >¥lib’s support for the Messenger of
Allah s, contrasted with Ab‰ Lahab’s enmity toward him.
Ibn Ba~~¥l said:
The sacred hadith [^adÏth qudsÏ], “My mercy precedes My wrath,” is
soundly interpreted by those who say that Allah’s mercy is not cut
off from those who are in the Hellfire eternally. That is because it
is completely within Allah’s power to create a punishment for the
denizens of Hell that is a mercy and ease for them when compared
to the punishment [suffered by others]. The position of the
verifying scholars [mu^aqqiq‰n] is that a disbeliever’s punishment
is not eased on account of the good deeds he performed in this
world; rather, he receives his recompense in this world. Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\
said, “It is agreed upon by consensus that the disbelievers will not
benefit from their good actions or receive their rewards by way of
delight or lightening of punishment—even if some of them shall
receive more punishment than others.”

9
Al-Kirm¥nÏ said:
Righteous deeds will not benefit a disbeliever and dream visions
do not constitute proofs. And assuming that we accept this,
there remains the possibility that the righteous deeds in question
are the actions that are linked specifically to the Messenger of
Allah s, just as Ab‰ >¥lib will benefit by receiving a lightened
punishment. Al-SuhaylÏ mentioned that al-¢Abb¥s g said, “I once
saw Ab‰ Lahab in a dream after his death and I inquired about
his state. He replied, ‘I have not found any good after you save
that I am given drink due to having set Thuwayba free, and on
every Monday my punishment is lightened.’” That is because the
Prophet s was born on a Monday and when Thuwayba brought
Ab‰ Lahab the good news [of his birth] he freed her. It is said that
¢Urwa’s report, “When Ab‰ Lahab died some of his family beheld
him in a dream vision and asked him about what he received,” is
mursal, since he did not mention who narrated it to him. Even if
we assume that it is maw|‰l [i.e. with a fully connected chain], still,
this report is about a dream, so it is not a proof. It is also likely
that the one who saw the dream wasn’t a Muslim at the time, so
it cannot be used as proof. It is also reported that this report, even
if it is accepted, might be specific to things linked to the Prophet,
as is proven in the story of Ab‰ >¥lib whose punishment was
lightened and who was moved from a deep portion of the Fire to a
shallower portion. Al-Qur~ubÏ said, “This lightening is specific to
him and those who are explicitly mentioned in the revealed texts.
And Allah knows best.”
[Al-Qas~al¥nÏ said in] al-Maw¥hib al-laduniyya:
The Prophet s was suckled by Thuwayba, the freed slave of Ab‰
Lahab. He freed her after she delivered to him the good news of
the Prophet’s birth s. Ab‰ Lahab was seen in a dream vision after
his death and he was asked about his condition. He replied, “I am
in the Fire; however, my punishment is lightened every Monday

10
 evening, and I am able to drink water from these fingertips [and
he pointed to the tips of his index and middle finger]—and this is
because I freed Thuwayba when she brought me the good news of
the Prophet’s birth and thus she was able to suckle him.”
Ibn al-JazarÏ4 said:
If this is Ab‰ Lahab, the disbeliever condemned in the Quran, and
yet he is rewarded in the Fire because of the joy he felt on the
night of the Prophet’s birth s, what say you about the Muslim
believer in divine unity who is of the Prophet’s Umma and who
feels happiness during the occasion of his birth and spends what
he can in celebration of his love for him s? Certainly his reward
from Allah Most Generous is that He bestows upon him of His
vast bounty and allows him to enter the Paradise of Delight!5
Under the heading of the hadith, “She brought me the good news
of the Prophet’s birth and thus she was able to suckle him,” the
commentator on al-Maw¥hib al-laduniyya, al-Zurq¥nÏ, said:
This is not contradicted by the statement of the Most High, œAnd
we bring them to what they did and they find it as scattered dust particles∑,
because it did not ultimately save them from the Fire and enable
them to enter Paradise, so it is as if it did not benefit them at all,
as al-BayhaqÏ pointed out.
It could also be said that the scattering of their deeds will
occur after the resurrection, and this narration speaks of what
occurs before that. Al-SuhaylÏ remarked, “This benefit is only a
decrease in punishment, for otherwise there is no disagreement
that the deeds of the disbelievers are all null and void.” Al-¤¥fi·
[Ibn ¤ajar] argued that since the disbelievers are also held
4 Mu^ammad al-Zurq¥nÏ said of Ibn al-JazarÏ, “He is Ab‰ al-Khayr Shams
al-DÏn b. al-JazarÏ, Mu^ammad b. Mu^ammad al-DimashqÏ, the Imam of the
variant readings of the Quran, the hadith master, and the author of many
works, such as the unrivaled al-Nashr fÏ al-qir¥√at al-¢ashar. He was born in 751 ah
and died in 833 ah.
5 Mu^ammad b. Mu^ammad al-JazarÏ, ¢Arf al-ta¢rÏf bi al-mawlid al-sharÏf, p. 22.
11
 responsible for the branches of the law [mukh¥~ab‰n bi al-fur‰¢],
sins that are less than disbelief may be lightened on account of
good deeds they performed. The author of al-TawshÏ^ stated that
this was specifically for Ab‰ Lahab on the grounds that it was in
honor of the Prophet s, just as the punishment was lightened
for Ab‰ >¥lib because of the Prophet s. It has also been stated
that there is nothing to preclude lightening the punishment of
every disbeliever who performed good works…. May Allah reward
the noble hadith master Shams al-DÏn Mu^ammad b. N¥|ir, who
said:
If this disbeliever who was condemned
And whose hands were bound forever in the Fire
Mentioned that every Monday
His punishment is lightened due to his joy in A^mad
What say you of the servant
Whose entire life is joyful with A^mad
And who dies with belief in divine unity?6
The position of the objector and those who support him is not
unprecedented. They do follow some reports from the pious pre-
decessors, but we are not bound to the conclusions they have
drawn from them. This is clear if we consider the statement of
Imam Ibn ¤ajar al-¢Asqal¥nÏ (and al-¢AynÏ, too). He was not sat-
isfied with this view, and that is why he said “It is retorted,” fol-
lowed by a counter-reply and support for al-BayhaqÏ’s statement,
among others. This plainly shows that Ibn ¤ajar preferred the
view of al-BayhaqÏ and the others, because he used their quotes
as proof; and as the people of learning know, seeking recourse in
legal rationale is a proof of interpretation.
Since Ibn ¤ajar quoted Imam Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\’s opinion that “it is
agreed upon by way of consensus,” and also quoted the statements
of those with whom the objector agrees, it behooves me to cite
a separate passage from Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\ that contradicts his claim. In
6 Mu^ammad al-Zurq¥nÏ, Shar^ al-Maw¥hib al-laduniyya, p. 147.
12
Ikm¥l [al-mu¢lim] Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\ said just before his aforementioned
quote:
There is the statement, “Did we benefit him with anything?” and
the statement in another hadith, “Perhaps my intercession shall
benefit him on the Day of Judgment”—but Allah Most High said
about the disbelievers, œThe intercession of the intercessors will not benefit
them∑ and œIt is not for the Prophet and those who believe to seek forgiveness
for the idolaters, even if they are their close kin∑ [9:113]. In reply to this,
there is no definitive text stating that the Prophet s interceded
for him; he simply informed that his [i.e. Ab‰ >¥lib’s] kinship and
support benefited him, just as Ab‰ Lahab was provided drink for
having freed Thuwayba, the Prophet’s wet-nurse s. That was a
blessing from the Prophet s which poured upon them and caused
their punishment to be lightened. These incidents were the cause
of the intercession, not the Prophet’s longing and entreaty s.7
Let every intelligent person take note of what the objector
and his supporters did. They quoted a text that they thought
substantiated their view, but ignored a text that didn’t. Moreover,
al-Qur~ubÏ replied in a manner similar to Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\ and added
more detail. He said:
The Prophet s said: “Perhaps my intercession shall benefit him.”
What the Prophet s hoped for in this hadith actually occurred,
for the Prophet s said, “I found him in the deepest flames and
moved him to the shallowest flames.” So it appears that he hoped
for that and was thus granted it, and then informed others. The
question is: is this intercession literal or metaphorical? There is
a difference of opinion concerning this. If we concede that it is
literal and that the Prophet s interceded for Ab‰ >¥lib through
supplication and hopeful entreaty, that is contradicted by the
statements of the Most High, œThe intercession of the intercessors
will not avail them∑ [74:48], œThey will not intercede save for those with

7 Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\, Ikm¥l al-mu¢lim, 1:138.

13
 whom He is pleased∑ [21:28], and other verses of similar import. The
response to this objection is from numerous angles. The most
approximate response is that the negated intercession is only the
specific intercession [al-shaf¥¢a al-kh¥|a], which is the intercession
that delivers one from chastisement. The most that can be said
regarding the apparent contradiction is that one is specific and the
other general; hence there is no real contradiction between the
two, because it is possible to reconcile between them.
If we concede that the intercession in this hadith is metaphorical,
it will mean, as we mentioned elsewhere, that Ab‰ >¥lib’s honor
and defense of the Prophet s were the means of lightening the
punishment he deserved, because of his rejection of faith after
gaining intimate knowledge of the Prophet’s truthfulness s.
So since that lightening was due to the Prophet’s existence and
blessings s, the Prophet ascribed it to himself. In this context
and meaning it is not farfetched to call this an intercession. In fact,
the poets have used the word “intercession” with this meaning.
One of them said:
With his countenance there is an intercessor that effaces misdeeds
To hearts he is distinguished when he intercedes8
Of course this does not adequately counter the position that the
hadith contradicts the Quranic verses about intercession, so the
most that can be said is that it is qualified—so let us be sufficed
with the earlier answer. Nonetheless, there is no escaping the
fact that this is specific and unique for the Prophet s, and that
his intercession is both literal and metaphorical, so the difference
here is merely one of semantics.
On the basis of al-Qur~ubÏ’s position it is possible to ascribe
to the Prophet s an intercession that implies the lightening
of punishment for those specifically mentioned in the revealed
texts, such as Ab‰ >¥lib. His punishment on account of sins
was lightened, not the punishment on account of disbelief. We
8 Ab‰ ¢Abdull¥h al-Qur~ubÏ, al-Tadhkira, 1:357.
14
see that when Imam al-NawawÏ—may Allah have mercy upon
him—comments on the hadith reports about the lightening of
Ab‰ >¥lib’s punishment, he introduces them with section titles
such as, “Section: The Prophet’s Intercession for Lightening His
Uncle’s Punishment”. This supports and applies equally to the
narration about Ab‰ Lahab and adds further strength to and
acceptance of the hadith of ¢Urwa.
It is also possible to subsume the hadiths about Ab‰ >¥lib
and Ab‰ Lahab under the hadiths concerning the general respite
that the people—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—will enjoy
after the terror of the standing on the Last Day. This respite
will be because of the Prophet’s intercession s, for he has many
forms of intercession, and the first and the least of them is this
form.
Is this respite anything but a type of lightening that the
disbelievers will receive from the torment of the terror of that
day? Al-B¥j‰rÏ stated in his commentary on the Burda:
The Prophet s has many types of intercession. There is his
intercession for the cessation of the reckoning, when the terror will
be so great that the people will beg to escape the judgment plain, even
if it means entering the Fire. This is called the Greater Intercession
[al-shaf¥¢a al-¢u·m¥], and it is also called the Praiseworthy Station
[al-maq¥m al-ma^m‰d], because at that station the Prophet s will
be praised by everyone, the first and the last. This intercession
is specific for the Prophet s. Another type of intercession is
the Prophet’s intercession for a group to enter Paradise without
reckoning. They will arise from their graves and enter straight
away into their palaces. This intercession is also specifically for
the Prophet s…. Another type of intercession is the Prophet’s
intercession for lightening the punishment of specific disbelievers,
such as his uncle Ab‰ >¥lib. This intercession for lightening
the punishment of certain disbelievers does not contradict
Allah’s words œHe will not lighten∑ [2:162], because this verse only

15
 negates the lightening of punishment for disbelief: it does not
negate the lightening of punishment for that which is not disbelief.9
If you contemplate, dear reader, and ponder the quote above, you
will realize that the various types of intercession granted to the
Prophet are explained [bay¥n] by him s and are a qualification
[takh|Ï|] of the general texts that speak of divine threats [wa¢Ïd].
So by Allah’s permission the Prophet s can exclude whom he
wills—and with what he wills—from the general threat. There
are numerous examples of this, most of which have been compiled
by our grandfather, the valiant Imam and Sheikh of Islam and the
Muslims, Imam A^mad Ri\¥, in his treatise al-Amnu wa al-¢ul¥ li
n¥¢itÏ al-Mu|~af¥ bi D¥fi¢ al-bal¥√ (The security and exaltation of those
who describe the Chosen One as the One who Repels Calamity).
In this treatise he said g, “Whoever would like may take this
essay and call it Maniya al-labÏb anna al-tashrÏ¢ bi yad al-¤abÏb s (The
longing of the sagacious concerning the fact that legislation is in
the hand of the Beloved s).”
Up to this point we have presented examples of the Prophet
s lightening the punishment of disobedience for disbelievers.
We explained that this lightening was for some of their acts
of disobedience and not their disbelief. We also detailed with
examples, how the meanings of the Quran are subject to the
Prophet’s s explication [bay¥n]. Let us now dwell for a moment
on the specific intercession mentioned by al-B¥j‰rÏ: the Prophet’s
intercession for a group to enter Paradise without reckoning in
which they will arise from their graves and enter their palaces.
Imam al-Bukh¥rÏ said, “Is^¥q narrated to me via Raw^ b. ¢Ub¥da
from Shu¢ba who said, ‘I heard ¤u|ayn b. ¢Abd al-Ra^m¥n say,
“I was once sitting with Sa¢id b. Jubayr, who reported from Ibn
¢Abb¥s that the Prophet s said, ‘Seventy thousand people from
my Umma shall enter Paradise without reckoning. They are those
who do not seek incantation [ruqya] from others, or search out for
9 Ibr¥hÏm al-B¥j‰rÏ, Sharh al-burda, p. 23.
16
 omens, and they put their trust completely upon their Lord.’”’”10
As you can see from this hadith, these individuals are set apart
from the rest of humanity to whom Allah says: œIf you manifest what
is in yourselves or conceal it, Allah shall take you to account for it∑ [2:284].
I say to those who support the objector’s claims that the hadith
of ¢Urwa is a lie because of it “contradicting the Quran”, Will
you now claim that this hadith is a lie, too, or will you attempt
to reconcile between it and the verse? Your answer to this is our
answer to that!
And while we’re on the topic of textual conflict and
reconciliation, I should mention two hadith reports that seem
to contradict the belief that the divine preordainment is not
altered. In the first hadith, reported by Ab‰ al-Shaykh in Kit¥b
al-thaw¥b from Anas b. M¥lik g, the Messenger of Allah s said,
“Be frequent in your supplications, for supplications alter the
absolute preordainment.” In the second hadith, reported by al-
DaylamÏ in Musnad al-firdaws from Ab‰ M‰s¥ al-Ash¢arÏ g, and
by Ibn ¢As¥kir Numayr b. Aws al-Ash¢arÏ in mursal form, the
Prophet s said, “Supplication is one of the conscripted soldiers
of Allah and it alters the preordainment after it is determined.”11
Al-Mun¥wÏ commented on this hadith in Fay\ al-QadÏr:
The “absolute preordainment” [al-qa\¥√ al-mubram] mentioned
in the hadith … refers to the preordainment established in the
Tablet of Expunction [Law^ al-Ma^w] or the books of the angels,
since it accepts increase, while the pre-eternal knowledge [al-¢ilm al-
azalÏ] does not change or diminish. Al-Q¥\Ï said, “Preordainment
[qa\¥√] is the pre-eternal will that determines a specific order for
the created beings. Decree [qadr] is the temporal linkage of those
things to the divine will.” To have [ibr¥m] with something is to
master it [i^k¥m]. [al-JawharÏ] said in al-ßi^¥^: “It is said that so-
and-so abrama something if he mastered it.” Al-ZamakhsharÏ said,

10 Al-Bukh¥rÏ, ßa^Ï^ al-Bukh¥rÏ, p. 1377 §4372.

11 A^mad, al-Musnad §154.
17
 “An example of figurative speech is the statement, ‘So-and-so
abrama something,’ or ‘The matter is mubram.’”
This hadith was reported by Ab‰ al-Shaykh from Anas, and its
chain contains ¢Abdull¥h b. ¢Abd al-MajÏd. Al-DhahabÏ included
him among the weak narrators and said, “Ibn Ma¢Ïn said, ‘He is
nothing.’” Anyhow, he marked the hadith indicating that it was
reported by the two Sheikhs [al-Bukh¥rÏ and Muslim]. The author
erred when he ascribed it to Ab‰ al-Shaykh exclusively, because it
is also found in the collections of some of the recognized Sheikhs,
such as al-Kha~Ïb in T¥rÏkh [Baghd¥d] who reported it with the
wording from al-Mazb‰r, from Anas.12
Al-Mun¥wÏ’s explanation that the word mubram “refers to the
preordainment that is established in the Tablet of Expunction
[Law^ al-Ma^w] or the books of the angels,” and that “it does not
refer to the pre-eternal knowledge, for it does not decrease” refers
to a specific type of preordainment that has been called mubram,
because it resembles it and is absolute insofar as it is contained in
the Tablet of Expunction or the books of the angels; hence it is
thought to be mubram even though it is conditional [mu¢allaq] in the
divine knowledge. This matter has been thoroughly investigated
and explained by our grandfather, Imam A^mad Ri\¥—may
Allah sanctify his secret. He said:
The realizaton of this issue has come to me via inspiration from
the All-Knowing King. The divine legislative rulings are two types.
The first type, which includes most rulings, is absolute and free of
restriction to a particular time, and the second type is restricted to
a particular time. An example of this second type is found in Allah’s
words: œSo if they testify then keep them in their homes until death overtakes them
or Allah makes a way for them∑ [4:15]. After the prescribed punishment
for adultery was revealed, the Prophet s said, “Take this from me:
Allah has made a way for them….” This was reported by Muslim
and others from ¢Ub¥da g. With regard to Allah’s knowledge of
12 ¢Abd al-Ra√‰f al-Mun¥wÏ, Fay\ al-QadÏr, 2:83.
18
 it, the “absolute” [mu~laq] is considered either lasting or qualified.
The former is subject to abrogation [naskh], and that explains why
some people think that an abrogated ruling is replaced [tabaddal],
because the apparent context of the mu~laq is that it is lasting.
This has caused some people to think that abrogation is the lifting
of a ruling, whereas our view and the view of the investigating
scholars is that abrogation simply details the duration of a certain
ruling.
The same may be said regarding ordainments, such as when the
Angel of Death e is instructed, “Seize the soul of So-and-so at
such-and-such time, unless that person prays [for a lengthening]”;
and then there are ordainments that are absolute and inevitable
in the knowledge of Allah Most High, and they are mubram. The
preordainment that is ostensibly averted through supplication—
called the conditional [mu¢allaq] preordainment—resembles the
absolute preordainment because it appears absolute in the eyes
of the creation. The reason that it appears absolute in their eyes
is because there is no indication of it being restricted, although it
is conditional in reality. The hadith [of Anas g reported by Ab‰
al-Shaykh] speaks of this latter type of preordainment.
As for the absolute preordainment, there is none who can avert
it and there is none who can prevent Allah’s judgment. If that
were possible it would necessitate ignorance [i.e., that Allah is
qualified with ignorance and does not know that someone will
prevent the fulfillment of His will], and Allah Most High is far
exalted beyond that.13
This is what it means to be cautious and follow the methodology
of those who preserve the proofs. Scholars of this caliber seek
plausible interpretations in order to prevent the clash of mutual
contradiction [ta¢¥ru\] in the revealed texts. They are not wont
to reject a hadith merely because of the weakness of its chain or
a narrator’s questionable probity; rather, they strive to reconcile

13 A^mad Ri\¥ Kh¥n, al-Mustanad al-mu¢tamad, p. 54.

19
the reports and make them fit together seamlessly. And Allah is
the source of all success.
These are the scholars we refer to when we seek to understand
the meanings of the Quran, for they are the recipients of
the knowledge of the Mujtahid Imams who received from the
Companions, who in turn received directly from the Prophet
s. They have complete insight into the meanings of the Book
and the Sunna, and they know the texts that are absolute and
restricted and those that are general and qualified.

Allah be praised, this completes the response and lifts the veil of
confusion. All that remains is to respond to some of the other
claims made by Sheikh JamÏl concerning this topic so the truth
can be made clearer and the doubts removed.
Sheikh JamÏl stated: “Who told this person that the scholars
accepted the hadith of Ab‰ Lahab, and can he tell us where this
supposed hadith is located?” We have already responded to this
in detail and mentioned those who accepted the hadith.
Then he said, “What does this person say about the consensus
of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jam¥¢a mentioned by Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\?” We have
already answered the quote of Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\; so let us ask: what do
you say about those who said otherwise?
Sheikh JamÏl said: “You are interpreting the Quran with your
personal opinions.” This accusation does not, however, warrant a
response. We leave the matter to the people of fairness and they
can be the judge of that. The statements of the Imams exonerate
us and are sufficient.
Sheikh JamÏl asked: “Who are the scholars you are talking
about?” We say: Imam Ibn ¤ajar, to name one. You said yourself,
Sheikh JamÏl, that he cited the supposed consensus quoted by
Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\, but we proved that Ibn ¤ajar didn’t support Q¥\Ï
¢Iy¥\’s position on this.
20
 The Sheikh continued: “Is there anything after the consensus
and the verses of the Quran save misguidance?” We say: The
claim of consensus is incorrect. Al-Qur~ubÏ and others adequately
discussed the Quranic verses in question. They are the reliable
Imams of guidance, so your question applies to them as much
as it applies to us. Ask them your questions and say, “Is there
anything after the consensus and the verses of the Quran save
misguidance?” I won’t bother replying to your lament of “I seek
refuge with Allah! Some people are audacious enough to deny
the Quran and reject consensus!” for the words of our Imams
are sufficient for us, and we take the matter to the Court of the
Possessor of Justice and Knowledge.
Sheikh JamÏl continued: “The scholars have responded to the
narration about Ab‰ >¥lib.” Of course they have. Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\
responded just as they did, and all of them support our position.
We have not come across the original sources of your citations, so
you are responsible for furnishing them.
Sheikh JamÏl argued: “No one articulated this.” We reply: What
do you mean by “this”? What do you mean when you say that this
is “fabricated against them”? He continued: “The scholars do not
violate consensus or belie the Quran.” Of course they don’t. That
hasn’t happened here; the scholars we mentioned have never
violated consensus or belied the Quran, and this position is not,
as you claim, from the words of ignorant would-be sufis.

This should suffice in responding to the repeated mention of Q¥\Ï

¢Iy¥\’s supposed consensus and what the scholars—Q¥\Ï ¢Iy¥\
included—said concerning the easing of Ab‰ >¥lib’s punishment.
Anyone who reads their words will see this clearly.
Sheikh JamÏl mentioned several verses from the Quran
that explain how the punishment will not be lightened for the
disbelievers. We believe in those verses just as we believe in the
21
others, and we say, œWe believe in them—all of them are from our Lord∑
[3:7]. We explained our position on these verses and sided with
the scholars who gathered between the seemingly contradictory
proof-texts and reconciled between them. Sheikh JamÏl mentioned
other verses that do not speak of easing the punishment as such,
but rather speak about how the disbelievers shall abide eternally
in the Hellfire and never exit it, such as the verse, œAnd they will
not exit the Fire∑ [2:167], and œAnd they will not exit it, and for them is
an abiding punishment∑ [5:37], and others. We agree with Sheikh
JamÏl on this point and believe that the disbelievers shall abide
eternally in the Hellfire, and the punishment for disbelief shall
never be lightened or eased. Allah speaks the truth and guides to
the straight path.

22
 •
conclus i on

Those who reject this hadith on the grounds that it goes against
the apparent meaning of the Quran might attempt to use Ibn
¤ajar’s words against us. He mentioned the response to the
objection against the hadith in a passive formula [|ighat al-tamrÏ\],
and said, “It is reported that this report is mursal….” The opponent
is clutching straws here, because according to us—as ¤anafÏs—
as well as the majority, mursal reports constitute evidence. Al-
¢Ir¥qÏ said in his Alfiyya, “M¥lik and al-Nu¢m¥n [i.e., Imam Ab‰
¤anÏfa] used them [i.e., mursal reports] as proof, as well as those
who followed them, and they followed their religion according
to what was contained therein….” Imam al-Sakh¥wÏ said in his
commentary:14
[M¥lik,] i.e., M¥lik b. Anas [used them as proof] according to what
is famously reported from him. Likewise Imam Ab‰ ¤anÏfa al-
Nu¢m¥n b. Th¥bit [as well as those who followed them,] i.e., those who
emulate them [muqallid‰hum¥]. What is meant by the majority
here is the majority of the two groups,15 and even a group from
the hadith scholars, as well as Imam A^mad, according to one
narration mentioned by al-NawawÏ, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn KathÏr,
and others. They [followed their religion according to what was contained
therein,] that is to say, each of them took what he considered a
mursal report and acted upon it in legal rulings and other matters.
This was mentioned by al-NawawÏ in Sharh al-muhadhdhab on the

14 The original text is contained in the brackets —Tr

15 In other words, the majority of the ¤anafÏ and M¥likÏ jurists. —Tr
23
 authority of many, if not most, of the jurists. Al-NawawÏ said,
“And al-Ghaz¥lÏ reported this as the position of the majority.”
Ab‰ D¥w‰d said in his treatise, “Most of the early scholars, such
as Sufy¥n al-ThawrÏ, M¥lik, and al-Awz¥¢Ï, used mursal reports
as legal proofs, until al-Sh¥fi¢Ï came along and contested them,
followed by A^mad and others.”16
Al-Sakh¥wÏ detailed the position of al-Sh¥fi¢Ï’ and those who
followed him, and outlined the conditions for accepting mursal
reports. It is not within the scope of this essay to go into these
details, so I will refer the reader to al-Sakh¥wÏ’s Fat^ al-MughÏth.
The gist of what al-Sakh¥wÏ discussed regarding al-Sh¥fi¢Ï’s
conditions for accepting mursal reports was mentioned by al-
Mun¥wÏ in al-Yaw¥qÏt wa al-durar shar^ Nukhbat al-fikr:
Imam al-Sh¥fi¢Ï said: “It [i.e., a mursal report] is accepted if it
is substantiated by another distinct chain, whether mursal or
contiguous, because it makes preponderant the possibility that
the unnamed narrator was reliable in reality. Similarly, a weak
mursal report is accepted if it is substantiated by the mursal reports
of the elders among the Followers [T¥bi¢‰n], and it is suitable to
be used when declaring a legal preference [tarjÏ^] on the basis of a
Companion’s statement or action, or the opinion of the bulk of
scholars [or analogy], or due to its wide-dissemination without
any rejection.”17
Al-Mun¥wÏ mentioned another method used by the hadith
scholars. He said:
A group among them, such as Ibn al-¤¥jib and the author of al-
BadϢ, held the opinion that the mursal reports from the Imams of
hadith transmission (like Sa¢Ïd b. al-Musayyib and al-Sha¢bÏ) are
acceptable because there is no drawback to them. In this case these
types of mursal reports are judged as contiguous reports [musnad].

16 Al-Sakh¥wÏ, Fat^ al-MughÏth, 1:152.

17 ¢Abd al-Ra√‰f al-Mun¥wÏ, al-Yaw¥qÏt wa al-durar shar^ Nukhbat al-fikr, 1:502–503.
24
A similar approach has been narrated from ¢¬s¥ b. Ab¥n, one of
our ¤anafÏ Imams. Ab‰ Bakr al-R¥zÏ said in al-Fu|‰l, “¢¬s¥ b. Ab¥n
said, ‘If someone from our time narrates a mursal report from the
Prophet s and it has been cited by the people of knowledge, his
mursal report is carried just as his contiguous report is carried.
On the other hand, if someone’s contiguous reports are carried
by the people, but not his mursal reports, then his mursal reports
are considered mawq‰f [“halted”].”’18 Al-R¥zÏ continued, “What he
means by ‘carried by the people’ is their acceptance of his hadith
only, not his audition [sam¥¢], for the audition of the mursal and
non-mursal is allowable.”19
¢¬s¥ b. Ab¥n said in his book on ambiguous detailed proofs
about this type of mursal report, “As far as I see it, a mursal report
is stronger than a contiguous report.”20 What he means by mursal
here are the mursal reports from the Imams of transmission. He
believes that they are stronger than the contiguous reports of
others who are not of their rank.
In light of all of the above, it is clear that the hadith in question
is not rejected. How can it be, when it fulfils all of the conditions
for acceptance according to the methodology of the investigating
scholars [mu^aqqiq‰n] of the ¤anafÏs? The report about Ab‰
Lahab is from ¢Urwa, who was a Follower from the early forebears
whose virtue is attested. There are many hadith chains containing
¢Urwa, and they are widespread and not rejected whatsoever. This
hadith is acceptable according to the position of the majority and
the view of the verifying scholars among the ¤anafÏs and others,
like Imam al-Sh¥fi¢Ï. This hadith, therefore, should be considered
maw|‰l, and should not be rejected on account of it being a “mere
dream”. On the contrary, we take delight in this hadith because
it substantiates the blessings of the Prophet s that manifested
before and after his birth. These blessings were witnessed and
18 Ab‰ Bakr al-R¥zÏ, al-Fu|‰l, p. 30.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
25
confirmed by the nomads and city dwellers alike. The books of
Prophetic biography [sÏra] are filled with the sayings of soothsayers
who spoke of the Prophet’s arrival; so if the hadith scholars and
compilers had a problem with these reports because they were
“dreams” or “narrations from disbelievers,” they would have kept
them out of their collections. This answers the objection that “in
all likelihood, the narrator was still a non-Muslim at the time of
seeing the dream, and as such it can not be used as evidence.” Ibn
¤ajar’s statement that “in all likelihood, the narrator was still a
non-Muslim at the time of seeing the dream, and as such it can
not be used as evidence” is questionable for numerous reasons.
Firstly, where did he get the idea that ¢Urwa only heard it from
the “narrator who was still not a Muslim at the time”? And
assuming that ¢Urwa only heard it from that narrator, where did
Ibn ¤ajar get the idea that he heard it when the narrator was
still a non-Muslim? Why is it inconceivable that ¢Urwa heard this
hadith after the narrator embraced Islam, or that he heard it from
another Companion besides al-¢Abb¥s? Nevertheless, it can be
argued that al-¢Abb¥s was narrating the event that influenced his
decision to embrace the faith. In the commentary on al-Bu|ÏrÏ’s
Hamziyya ode, Ibn ¤ajar [al-HaytamÏ] said:
Al-BayhaqÏ, al-Kha~Ïb, Ibn ¢As¥kir, and others reported from
al-¢Abb¥s g, who said, “I said to the Prophet s, ‘O Messenger
of Allah! A sign of your Prophethood has led me to embrace your
faith. I saw you [at birth] whispering to the moon and pointing
at it with your finger, after which it began to tilt.’ The Prophet
s, said, ‘I was speaking to it and it was speaking to me. It was
distracting me so I wouldn’t cry, and I could hear its sound as it
prostrated under the Throne.’”21
This report proves that al-¢Abb¥s g wanted to proclaim his
faith but had chosen instead to conceal it until he found the right
opportunity to do so. He was powerless at the time and was
21 Ibn ¤ajar al-HaytamÏ, Shar^ al-Hamziyya, p. 152.
26
unable to declare his faith until he tricked the disbelievers and
marched out with them to the battle of Badr and was subsequently
captured by the Muslims. After his capture he openly professed
his once secret faith. Al-¢Abb¥s’ Islam should be dated to the time
at which he saw the Prophet s as a baby, for he said, “A sign of
your Prophethood has led me to embrace your faith.” Certainly,
Islam has the upper hand and is not dominated.
I have always had this belief about al-¢Abb¥s and long wished to
come across a proof that supported it, until finally I came across
this narration. The two Imams, Ibn ¤ajar and al-¢AynÏ, said (and
the wording here is taken from Ibn ¤ajar):
Ibn Is^¥q reported from the hadith of Ibn ¢Abb¥s: “The Prophet
s said, ‘O ¢Abb¥s! You are wealthy, so ransom yourself, your two
cousins ¢AqÏl b. AbÏ >¥lib and Nawfal b. al-¤¥rith, and your ally
¢Utba b. ¢Amr.’ Al-¢Abb¥s said, ‘I was a Muslim, but these folk
put me under duress.’ The Prophet s replied, ‘Allah knows best
regarding what you say. If what you say it true Allah will reward
you; however, outwardly you were against us.’”22
Ibn al-JawzÏ said in Kashf al-mushkil min ^adÏth al-ßa^Ï^ayn (Disclosure
of the enigmatic hadith reports in al-Bukh¥rÏ and Muslim):
Al-¢Abb¥s b. ¢Abd al-Mu~allib is the paternal uncle of the Messenger
of Allah s. He was three years older than the Messenger of Allah
s and embraced Islam early on but concealed his faith. He marched
out with the idolaters during the battle of Badr and the Prophet s
said, “Do not kill al-¢Abb¥s should one of you encounter him, for
he has marched out under duress.” Ab‰ al-Yusr captured him, after
which he ransomed himself and returned to Mecca shortly before
migrating [to Medina].23
In short, it is futile for those of us who have not attained the
ranks of the skilled hadith critics, or been gifted with their level of

22 Ibn ¤ajar al-¢Asqal¥nÏ, Fat^ al-B¥rÏ, 7:257.

23 Ibn al-JawzÏ, Kashf al-mushkil min ^adÏth al-ßa^Ï^ayn, 10:1048.
27
discernment, to cling to every minute detail in the mursal reports.
Our only protocol is to accept and rely upon the mursal reports
and show confidence in the upright Imams of transmission. Imam
A^mad Ri\¥—may Allah sanctify his secret—said in al-H¥d al-k¥f
fÏ ^ukm al-\i¢¥f (the sufficient guide to the ruling on weak hadith):
Fairness dictates that the non-specialist in hadith criticism should
use mursal reports as proofs in legal rulings. The non-specialist
need only avail himself of the view of the critic, not engage in a
“hands on,” self-directed critique; for that is a burden that the
non-specialist cannot bear. There is undoubtedly no difference
whether the non-specialist mentions or omits the chain of trans-
mission—both are identical. Indeed, the statement of the scrupu-
lous hadith critic that “The Messenger of Allah s said” is just as
clear as an explicit or implicit authentication, if not clearer. The
potential laxity, positive conjecture, and errors that the hadith
specialist makes in citations are just as possible in his hadith au-
thentications—this has been tried and tested. This fact has been
explicitly stated by the Imams, such as Ibn al-ßal¥^, al->abarÏ,
al-NawawÏ, al-ZarkashÏ, al-¢Ir¥qÏ, al-¢Asqal¥nÏ, al-Sakh¥wÏ, Za-
kariyy¥ al-An|¥rÏ, al-Suy‰~Ï, and others. They mentioned that one
may accept a hadith with confidence and use it as a proof if a reli-
able Imam authenticates it or reports it in a book that endeavors
to maintain a high standard of textual soundness. We mentioned
the opinions of the scholars to this effect in our book Mad¥rij
~abaq¥t al-^adÏth. We quoted earlier the statement of [¢AlÏ] al-Q¥rÏ
from Sheikh al-Islam in point twenty-one, so why is it applicable
there but not here?
In any case, this is similar to Imam A^mad [b. ¤anbal] or
Ya^y¥ [b. Ma¢Ïn] saying “this hadith is authentic,” or al-Bukh¥rÏ,
Muslim, Ibn Khuzayma, and ™iy¥√ [al-MaqdisÏ] mentioning a
hadith in their rigorously authentic collections [al-ßi^¥^], not to
mention al-MundhirÏ’s silence in his Mukhta|ar and the reports of
Ibn al-Sakan in his ßa^Ï^ and ¢Abd al-¤aqq in al-A^k¥m.

28
 Both statements are accepted: those of the aforementioned
Imams as well as the statements of the reliable and scrupulous
hadith critics who say “The Messenger of Allah s said,” and
“The Messenger of Allah s did,” and who report his rulings,
states, descriptions of beauty, affairs of grandeur, and qualities of
perfection—may Allah Most High send prayers and salutations
upon him and bless him, exalt him, ennoble him, and honor him,
amen!24
It is not possible to reject the hadith about Ab‰ Lahab on the
basis of it being mursal. We are sufficed with what our Imams
have pointed out and validated. Al-¢Al¥√Ï al-¤a|fakÏ said in al-
Durr al-mukht¥r: “We must follow what they [i.e., our Imams]
authenticated and preferred and treat it just as we would if they
gave us edicts during their lifetime.”25

24 A^mad Ri\¥ Kh¥n, al-H¥d al-k¥f fÏ a^k¥m al-\i¢¥f, p. 231.

25 Al-¢Al¥√Ï al-¤a|kafÏ, al-Durr al-mukht¥r, 1:77.
29
 •
Summary
The findings of this research leave us with twelve points:

1   The hadith of ¢Urwa is acceptable, and although mursal, it

takes the ruling of a maw|‰l narration.
2 This hadith is accepted and reported by the valiant Imams.
Had Imam al-Bukh¥rÏ been the only scholar to report this
hadith it would suffice as a proof, so what say you when the
reliable Imams agreed with his report?
3 The contents of ¢Urwa’s hadith are supported and strength-
ened by the narration that speaks of the lightening of Ab‰
>¥lib’s punishment.
4 ¢Urwa’s hadith does not conflict with the apparent texts of
the Quran, for, as we quoted from al-Qur~ubÏ and others, it
is possible to reconcile between them.
5 There is nothing to preclude the possibility of punishment
being lightened so long as it is not the punishment meted out
for disbelief.
6 The punishment mentioned in the verse œit will not be light-
ened∑ [43:75], which is for the disbelievers, is not unrestrict-
ed; rather, it is specific to the punishment meted out for dis-
belief.
7 The source for understanding the meanings of the Quran goes
back to the eloquent words of the Prophet s. People are at
varying levels when it comes to this. There are scholars who
take from the Mujtahid scholars who took from the Compan-

30
 ions who understood the Quran directly from the Prophet’s
instruction s, and then there are laymen like us who do not
have the privilege to authenticate texts or declare preferences.
Our role is to rely on what the Imams have transmitted to us
from the Prophet s and accept what has been given to us by
the jurists who had a sound understanding of the meanings of
the Quran and Sunna. They conveyed to us their understand-
ing. They are our reference points and we have confidence in
their transmissions and rulings. Allah Most High said, œO you
who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority
over you∑ [4:59].
8 ¢Urwa’s hadith can be used as a proof and is not diminished by
the fact that it reports a dream vision.
9 This hadith is likewise not diminished by the claim that “in
all likelihood, the narrator was still a non-Muslim at the time
of seeing the dream, and as such it can not be used as evi-
dence.” There is an explicit narration from al-¢Abb¥s proving
that he embraced Islam and concealed his faith, so the previ-
ously mentioned objection is baseless, and Allah knows best.
10 As we quoted from Imam A^mad Ri\¥ in his al-Mustanad al-
mu¢tamad, a ruling might appear absolute although it is actu-
ally qualified. This, however, is only apparent to the scholars.
11 The Prophet s has many types of intercession, the least of
them being the relief he brings to people at the Judgment
Plain, as we mentioned earlier. This type of intercession
proves that the disbelievers in general will experience a light-
ening of the terror experienced on the Day of Standing. In-
cluded in this intercession is the Prophet’s intercession for
some disbelievers exclusively, as mentioned in the hadith
in Muslim’s ßa^Ï^. We detailed how these intercessions are
qualifications of the general texts.
12 You can also apprehend from this that there is an apparent

31
 “mutual-contradiction” [mu¢¥ra\a] between the proof texts in
the Quran and Sunna: some indicate that the disbelievers’
deeds will not avail them any reward in the Hereafter and
that their punishment will not be lightened, whereas other
proofs indicate that some of them will receive reward for
their good deeds and experience a lightened punishment. I
bring to mind the words of the Most High, œAnd we shall set
up the scales of justice∑ [21:47]. Al-Qur~ubÏ mentioned this verse
in al-Tadhkira as a proof for his “research” that was mentioned
by Ibn ¤ajar in al-Fat^. He sought to prove that the deeds
of the disbelievers are weighed in the Scale. The clearest
proof for the general weighing of deeds is the verse, œAnd
the weighing on that Day will be a true weighing. So they whose scale
will be heavy shall be from the triumphant. And they whose scale will be
light are those who lost their own selves for having wronged Our verses∑
[7:8-9]. As you can see, this verse proves that the deeds of the
disbelievers are generally weighed; therefore, we must seek—
as best we can—to reconcile and gather these texts together
and show qualification [takh|Ï|] in order to prevent conflict
between them. The way to do this is to believe that œAllah
does not forgive that partners are set up along with Him∑ [4:116], as
He revealed in the decisive verse of His Book, and to believe
that He can forgive what is less than that through lightening
punishment for whomever He wills, for œHe forgives less than
that for whomever He wills∑ [4:116].
I also recall the hadith of ¢Abdull¥h b. Mas¢‰d, who reported that
the Prophet s said, “No one, whether Muslim or disbeliever,
does a good deed except that Allah rewards him for it.” The
Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What is the reward of
the disbeliever?” He replied, “Wealth, children, good health, and
the like.” Then they asked, “O Messenger of Allah! What is his
reward in the Hereafter?” He replied, “A punishment lesser than
the greater punishment.” Then he recited the verse, œCast the people

32
of Pharaoh in the severest punishment∑ [40:46]. After citing this report
in al-Fat^, Ibn ¤ajar said, “The chain of this hadith is weak,” but
you should pay no mind to that, because he was speaking about
the chain and not the actual text of the hadith. The weakness of
the chain does not necessarily imply the weakness of the text, and
how could it, when a similar meaning was reported in the story of
Ab‰ >¥lib, and it has numerous routes of transmission. Ibn ¤ajar
interpreted the hadith of Ab‰ >¥lib as referring to the lightening
of punishment that is linked with disobedience, and not disbelief.
As you can plainly see, Ibn ¤ajar provided the hadith a sound
interpretation and corroborated al-Qur~ubÏ’s view. Looking at
Ibn ¤ajar’s words, “as for the sins that are less than disbelief,
what is to prevent their punishment being lightened on account
of them?” we say that the hadith is established even if its chain
has weakness. The chain of transmission should not cause one to
abandon a narration so long as its meaning is sound. This is the
conclusion that I have drawn from the words of the Imams, and
with Allah is all success.
In conclusion, I say to Sayyid JamÏl: O SayyidÏ! Don’t be concerned
by the ignorance of the speaker; look instead to what is being said.
As someone said in the days of old, “Don’t look at the speaker,
rather consider what is being said.” May Allah Most High send
prayers and salutations upon our master Mu^ammad, and upon
his Companions and family.

—Mu^ammad Akhtar Ri\a al-Q¥dirÏ al-AzharÏ

33
 •

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